Choose loose wholegrain oats if you want to decide your own portion sizes and compare fibre per 100 g and per serving. Choose instant sachets when quick preparation and measured portions are your priorities. If you have coeliac disease, ordinary oats are not automatically suitable: check the pack for the official Crossed Grain symbol.
If you want a simple oat base, compare the nutrition information per 100 g with the amount you actually prepare. Voedingscentrum gives 4.4 g of fibre for a 40 g serving of ordinary porridge oats; check the label for the value of a specific product.
Individual sachets are handy if you don’t want to weigh your oats yourself. Check the weight of each sachet and the preparation instructions on the pack: Quaker Oats Express Naturel lists a preparation time of two minutes, while Elovena Natural instant oatmeal can be made with warm or cold liquid.
If you have coeliac disease, you can’t automatically choose ordinary porridge oats. Voedingscentrum warns that oats may be contaminated with gluten and says the pack must carry the official Crossed Grain symbol for the product to be suitable.
Before you stock your pantry, decide whether your main concern is fibre and ingredients, packaging and storage, quick-to-prepare portions or gluten-free suitability. Then compare the nutrition information and instructions on the pack you’re buying.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre and ingredients | Check the fibre per 100 g and work out the amount in your serving; look at the ingredients list too. | If fibre is my priority, I want to know what I’m getting in my own bowl, rather than just seeing the value per 100 g. Around 33% of consumers give this need top priority. |
| Packaging and storage | Compare pack weight and price per kilogram; check the date and storage instructions on the pack. | When restocking my pantry, I want a pack that suits how much I use and how I’ll store it after opening. This matters most to around 27% of consumers. |
| Preparation and portions | Check the preparation method, time and quantity per sachet or measured portion. | When I need breakfast to be quick, I want pre-measured portions so I don’t have to weigh anything myself. This is the top priority for around 27% of consumers. |
| Gluten-free and allergens | If you have coeliac disease, check for the official Crossed Grain symbol and read the latest allergen information. | If I’m choosing oats because I have coeliac disease, I need to confirm they’re suitable from the pack before fibre or convenience comes into the equation. Around 13% of consumers prioritise this reassurance. |
According to Voedingscentrum, ordinary oats may be contaminated with gluten. So the fact that oats don’t naturally contain gluten isn’t enough to tell you whether a particular pack is suitable.
Check for the official Crossed Grain symbol and read the allergen information on the pack you’re buying.
A small sachet may provide less fibre per breakfast than a larger portion you weigh yourself, even if the values per 100 g are quite similar.
Work out the nutrition information for the amount you prepare. Voedingscentrum gives 4.4 g of fibre per 40 g of ordinary porridge oats as a general guide, not as the value for every brand.
Albert Heijn lists 22 g of protein and 7.2 g of fibre per 100 g for Quaker Oats Express Protein. The product contains added soya protein, so added protein is not a measure of its fibre content.
Compare the fibre, protein and allergen information on the label of the variant you’re considering.
Offers ordinary porridge oats and Oats Express portions, including a variant with added soya protein.
Brinta Porridge Oats comes in a 450 g pack of fine oat flakes for making hot porridge.
AH Biologisch Fine Flake Porridge Oats comes in a 500 g pack for anyone who wants to measure out their own portions.
Jumbo Wholegrain Coarse Flake Porridge Oats comes in a loose 500 g pack.
This selection includes loose porridge oats for measuring out your own portions, as well as a quick-to-prepare variant with added protein. Compare the fibre and allergen information for each product; the loose packs listed here are not automatically instant porridge oats.
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For anyone looking for fine oat flakes and wanting to choose their own portion size.
Jumbo lists Brinta Porridge Oats as 100% oat flakes, with 9.7 g of fibre per 100 g. Check the portion size and allergen information on the pack; don’t treat ordinary oats as a gluten-free product.
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For anyone looking for a quick-to-prepare porridge oat variant with added protein.
Joybuy lists a preparation time of two minutes. Albert Heijn lists 7.2 g of fibre and 22 g of protein per 100 g for the Protein variant; the product contains soya. Check the portion size and allergen information on the pack.
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For anyone looking for a loose 500 g pack for the pantry and wanting to measure out their own portions.
Before choosing this product as an alternative to instant porridge oats, check the label for fibre per 100 g, preparation instructions and allergen information.
Voedingscentrum gives 4.4 g of fibre for 40 g of ordinary porridge oats. For a specific product and your own portion, check the fibre per 100 g on the label and work out the amount for the quantity you use.
Not without checking the pack. According to Voedingscentrum, oats may be contaminated with gluten, and people with coeliac disease need an oat product with the official Crossed Grain symbol; check the latest allergen information too.
Follow the storage instructions on the pack. Jumbo advises storing its Wholegrain Coarse Flake Porridge Oats in a cool, dry place and sealing the bag securely after use; check the date information on your own pack too.
Compare the ingredients, allergens and nutrition information, especially fibre per 100 g and per serving. The European Commission also lists date marking and storage instructions as information found on prepacked foods in the EU; check the pack itself for the instructions relevant to your product.
